From the May/June issue of Fanfare:
This is an outstanding release. It couples a fine audio restoration by Gene Gaudette of János Starker’s recording of Zoltán Kodály’s Sonata for Solo Cello, originally made in 1950 for the Period label, with a first release of a 1986 live performance featuring Starker and violinist Elmira Darvarova of the same composer’s Duo for Violin and Cello. … Starker’s mastery of the Solo Cello Sonata is well known. … The music just pours out of him as if it were embedded in his DNA. … What makes Starker’s performance unique is the way he melds those disparate elements into a unified whole. Impressive as it is as a technical display, it is the music’s organic structure that holds onto our attention throughout its almost half-hour length, and the relentless energy of Starker’s playing. … When he returned in 1986, he pressured authorities to allow [Darvarova] to play the Duo with him, which they ultimately did after considerable resistance, but they gave her a very hard time about it. The emotion behind that experience was poured into the performance in a way that is crystal clear to any listener. Darvarova, who was the first female concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera (and still the only one), is a stunning match for Starker not only technically but in the raw power that both produce. The stereo sound is excellent, creating the feeling of sitting in a reasonably center seat of a chamber music hall. This is a thrilling recording, one that I can recommend without reservation.
– Henry Fogel, FanfareThis is Want List material. Right from the start, the intensity, excitement, and passion of the performances rocketed through my speakers and immediately hit escape velocity. I was enthralled by the music and the music-making for the duration of the disc. … Darvarova and Starker are simply magnificent in the Duo. … Perhaps it was the raw, emotional response to her then-imminent escape from tyranny and persecution, but the violinist penetrates to the very core of this music. As with the Duo, Starker made several recordings of the Op. 8. This one is a practically immaculate restoration of his early recording made in 1950, and issued on LP on the Period label. … Credit for that sterling restoration and elimination of most extraneous noises goes to the engineer, who happens also to be the producer of this recording, Gene Gaudette. Bravo! … As noted at the outset, this disc will assuredly make my Want List this year. Urgently recommended.
– Keith R. Fisher, FanfareOn any list of great cellists of the 20th century, János Starker is sure to be at or very near the top of it. … That said—and even though half of the album at hand is devoted to Starker alone, playing the Solo Cello Sonata—in no small way, it’s violinist Elmira Darvarova who takes center stage in this production. … I can say that this is the finest performance of the Duo I have heard and am personally familiar with. … For the perfect mix of ingredients and blend of spices, it’s Starker and Darvarova’s Kodály Duo you want.
– Jerry Dubins, FanfareThe real gem on the present disc is the first release of a 1986 live performance from Sofia of the Duo, featuring a partnership with the violinist Elmira Darvarova. Darvarova, who is perhaps best known as the first (and only) female concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, proves a fully equal partner. This is one of those special live performances that we are lucky to have preserved on disc. It abounds with fire and intensity, the two soloists playing off one another as though they had been working together for years, even though this one of their first collaborations! … [T]he present disc should not be missed by anyone interested in great string playing.
– Michael Vaillancourt, FanfareIt is wonderful to hear János Staker in this repertoire. These are recordings made in 1986 (the live Duo) and 1950 (New York City for the Sonata, which was first released on Period Records SPL-510). Gene Gaudette is both producer and remastering engineer for the present incarnation, and what a fine job he does. … Darvarova and Starker are at their finest in the Adagio, with Darvarova’s passion in overdrive. When the two instruments meet on a unison line, the effect is magical, and so, so powerful; and both control their instruments to the nth degree in the quieter late stages. The high violin melodies of the finale’s opening Maestoso e largamente, ma non troppo lento are spellbinding. Just that little bit of edge adds to their power, while the warmth lower down on Darvarova’s violin retains that tensile strength. Her exactitude of delivery in firmly articulated passages is similarly impressive. … Of all the performances I heard, it is the 1950 Starker op. 8 that seems to hold the best balance of grit and virtuosity. Hence the present Urlicht release holds huge documentary value. The Duo is a significant member of that piece’s discography, and now I would not be without Starker’s op. 8.
– Colin Clarke, Fanfare
Henry Fogel also interviews Elmira Darvarova (it follows his review), and we wholeheartedly encourage you to give it a read!
Available for download and streaming on Qobuz and Presto.
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